A water meter is installed between a water main and a customer building to measure the customer's water use. A water company service line extends between the water main and a meter box, where it terminates. A customer service line extends between the meter box and the customer's building.
A meter setter is used to install the water meter in the meter box. The meter setter connects with the water company service line and with the customer service line, and provides for mounting the water meter approximately 12 inches below ground level and a meter box cover at ground level.
The water company service line and the customer service line are installed a substantial distance below the surface of the ground, to prevent accidental damage from digging and, in colder climates, to prevent winter freezes. The depth is different for different climate areas.
A typical prior art meter setter 100 is shown in FIG. 7. It has a brass base casting 102 with a first elbow 104 and a second elbow 106 separated by integrally cast bracing 108. The first elbow 104 has a coupling 110 for connecting with the water company service line, and the second elbow 106 has a coupling 112 for connecting with the customer service line.
A shaped copper pipe 114 has one of its ends soldered to the upper end of elbow 104, at 116. A mirror image shaped copper pipe 118 is soldered to the upper end of elbow 106 at 120.
The other end of copper pipe 114 is provided with a threaded terminal fitting 122, which is soldered to the copper pipe 114 at 124. Similarly, the copper pipe 118 is provided with a threaded terminal fitting 126, which is soldered to the copper pipe at 128. The copper pipes 114 and 118 are shaped such that their terminal fittings 122 and 126 are spaced apart for receiving a water meter and its accessory connecting components. In FIG. 7, the accessory connecting components include a right angle ball valve 130 that is threadably coupled onto the terminal end fitting 122 and itself provides a fitting for receiving one side of a water meter (not shown in FIG. 7). The pipe 118 is provided with a check valve 132, threadably coupled onto terminal fitting 126 for receiving the other end of the water meter.
The meter setter 100 shown in FIG. 7 provides a fixed height FH between the center lines of fittings 110, 112 on the elbows 104, 106 and the center lines of ball valve 130 and check valve 132 installed on fittings 122, 126 soldered to the copper pipes 114, 118. Therefore, the meter setter 100 is adapted to support a water meter at a given fixed height above the water company service line and customer service line. Meter setters 100 are fabricated to provide different heights FH by providing the pipes 114, 118 in different lengths. However, because these pipes are soldered to the base 102 as a part of the manufacturing process, the meter setters must be provided in a variety of fixed heights. Each fixed height must be individually manufactured, shipped and inventoried, and the proper fixed height must be selected and transported to a job site for installing a meter. Generally, typical fixed height meter setters for the climate area may be carried on service trucks, but the height cannot be adjusted if an unanticipated height is required, such as when a customer has regraded the ground level after the service pipes are in place.
The prior art meter setter 100 has an additional drawback in that the terminal fittings 122 and 126 are soldered to the copper pipes 114 and 118, and the solder joints have limited torque strength. Therefore, when it is necessary to replace one or both of the components 130, 132, which is sometimes necessary to replace a water meter or to provide a check valve or the like, it is quite easy to damage the meter setter and then require replacement of the entire assembly. The solder joints, and especially those connecting the base and spreader pipes, can also be cracked or damaged by impacts or loads on the copper pipes. The prior art meter setters are easily damaged in shipment and storage, as the copper pipes can be bent and/or misaligned.
For the foregoing reasons, the prior art meter setters have certain drawbacks and an improved water meter setter would be a welcome advance in the art. This art has been stagnant for many years. The foregoing problems have existed, but have not been recognized, addressed or solved.